Chapter Nine:

"Wake up!"

Ava was startled out of her sleep by her awful and annoying oldest brother.

The girl's eyes popped open as he flung himself onto her bed, making the mattress bounce.

"Go away." She grumbled. "It's too early."

"My how the tables have turned." Lucas mused, moving some messy hair away from her face. "I remember when you used to barge into my room to wake me up at the crack of dawn no matter how much I hated it."

"Luke, go away!" Ava tried to turn over, but her brother wouldn't allow that.

Why did he want to take a trip down memory lane now? Why couldn't he just let her sleep?

"And you'd jump on me until I actually got up." He sighed dramatically. "I won't jump on you, though. That would be irresponsible and dangerous." He could feel her tense up as he wiggled his fingers over her ticklish spots.

"Leave me alone! You're so annoying!"

"And because it's such a special day, I was gonna go easy on you." The older Scott shook his head. "But you just sealed your fate."

Ava squealed as his dug his fingers into her stomach, making her legs kick in a futile attempt to get away from him. "Stop it!"

Unfortunately, all she ended up doing was tangling herself up in her bedsheets, making his job that much easier.

"Why? I'm having fun." Lucas continued, this time tickling her neck and blowing multiple raspberries.

This new method of torture elicited unbridled giggles from the girl. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get away. Lucas was on a mission and he wasn't letting go until he felt like it.

"Cut it out!" She belly laughed.

"Are you gonna get up and get dressed?"

"Yes!"

"You promise?"

"Yes! Yes! I promise!"

"Well." Lucas pretended to think about it. "Alright."

Ava was still laughing uncontrollably after he stopped. She had what he liked to call, "Leftover Giggles'.

He didn't mind in the slightest. He loved to hear her laugh.

"Do you know what day it is?" She asked cheekily.

"Do I know what— of course I know what day it is." Lucas scoffed. "It's Sunday."

"Luke!" Ava didn't believe for a second that he forgot her birthday. No one ever forgot her birthday, it wasn't something she needed to worry about.

"I'm only kidding. Happy birthday." He kissed her cheek.

"Thank you." Ava smiled sweetly, her head still resting on her pillow. "I'm fifteen now."

"I know." Lucas tapped her nose before getting up. "Get dressed. We have a big day ahead of us."

"Yeah, Jamie's party is today." Ava got excited on her nephew's behalf.

Lucas loved the way his sister loved sharing her birthday with Jamie and Lily.

She didn't have a choice, but she could've been bitter about it.

But then she wouldn't be Ava.

"No." He shook his head. "Well, yes. But that's not what I meant. Come on." He reached out and gently pulled her to sit up. "Up and at 'em, Birthday Princess."

"I'm up." Ava shooed him out of her room so she could get dressed.

"Put on something nice!"

"What for?" She teased.

"Do I have to come in there?"

"No! That's okay!" She couldn't help but giggle at his frustration. "What to wear…..what to wear."

It took a few minutes of skimming through her closet, but Ava finally found something she deemed suitable to put on.

A yellow sundress decorated with white daisies.

And after spending some time in the bathroom, she opted not to wear makeup, instead putting on just a bit of lipgloss and parting her long locks in the middle to complete the look.

She didn't want to end up looking too formal today, but at the same time, she did want to look nice.

No one was home. Karen and Andy sent their apologies for not being able to make it, but something had come up unexpectedly and it just couldn't wait.

Ava had been disappointed when she heard the news, but she was old enough to know that sometimes things didn't work out they were they were planned. She was sure that her mother would make it up to her at some point.

But all the same, she would have preferred that Karen, Andy, and Lily could be with her on such a special day.

"Come here." Lucas beckoned her over to him once she exited her room.

"Uh, what's with the blindfold?"

Ava loved adventures as much as the next person, but honestly, a blindfold? Was it really necessary?

"Just trust me."

"You're not gonna, like, drop me off in the middle of nowhere as a joke, right?" She asked nervously, allowing him to put the blindfold on her.

He picked out a thick one. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see through the fabric.

"Believe me, I've thought about it." Lucas tied the blindfold securely. "But you'd just find your way back."

"Not funny."

"Really? I thought it was." He tickled her side. "Now, can I lead you to the car? Or do you need me to carry you?"

"Wait! Wait!" Maddie burst into the house with a gift in her hands right before they could leave. "I come bearing gifts!"

"Hi, Maddie." Ava waved in the direction of her voice.

"Hi." Maddie stopped to hug her and her brother. "I know you have a big day ahead of you and what not, but I just came by to give you your birthday gift."

"Thank you." Ava took it gently.

It was a box wrapped in wrapping paper, so Ava really couldn't tell what it was. She shook it lightly to try and figure it out and put it down on the table when she couldn't, pouting when she heard the two laughing at her.

"Happy birthday, Rosie." Maddie hugged her once again. "I'll let you guys get back to what you were doing."

"Hey, wait!" Ava reached blindly for her. "Aren't you coming?"

"No." Maddie shot Lucas a nervous look. Ava couldn't see her, but she knew something was up. She and her best friend always spent their birthdays together. This was new. "I have a lot of chores to do, but I promise I'll stop by later."

Chores? That didn't sound right. Maddie would never give her something to do that would occupy her to the point where she couldn't spend time with Ava on her birthday.

And she could tell by her hesitation that she was lying.

"Alright, let's go." Lucas interrupted before Ava could ask any more questions, pulling her out the door. "We'll see you around, Madz!"

"But my gift!"

"You'll open it later, Princess, let's go."

"We've been driving for a really long time." Ava pouted from the passenger seat of Lucas' car.

"We have not." Lucas rolled his eyes. "We're almost there anyway."

"Almost where?"

"You'll see."

"No, I won't." Ava sang. "I have a blindfold on. Remember?"

"Shut up."

"You can't tell me to 'shut up'! It's my birthday! Today's the only day where you're actually obligated to be nice to me!"

"Is that right?" Lucas bit his lip to keep from laughing as he parked the car. "We're here."

"Yay!" She clapped her hands.

They had literally been driving for nearly an hour, where was he taking her?

"I'm coming around to get you, so don't you dare take that blindfold off."

"Fine." Ava huffed and waited for him to come around her side of the car. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Lucas took her hand and began to lead her away, making sure she didn't trip over anything.

"Are we still in Tree Hill?"

"We're still in Tree Hill."

"Okay, so why'd you blindfold me? I've seen everything in Tree Hill."

"Not everything."

"I feel like we're on the Riverwalk."

Of course, she was right. They were on the Riverwalk, but Lucas wasn't going to tell her that.

The secret surprise wasn't so much about where they were, but more about who was coming to see them. Besides, he spent far too much effort trying to confuse her. He wasn't going to just give in and tell her exactly where they were after all of that.

Ava didn't mind playing the waiting game, though.

The live music playing in the background was enough to keep her occupied.

"Dance with me." She demanded, grabbing at his hands.

Lucas wasn't one to dance, but today he'd dance for her. She knew that and was going to take full advantage of it.

She laughed in delight as her brother obliged, swinging her back and forth like a goofball while people looked as they passed by.

He didn't care if a crowd of people stared. The joy on his sister's face was all that mattered to him.

It had been hard for her to celebrate her birthdays, so he and the rest of the family made sure to make an extra effort with her on those special days once a year.

But all of a sudden, he stopped dancing, making her frown. "Why'd you stop?"

But Lucas didn't answer her. In fact, he even let go of her.

"Uh, Luke? This is totally not funny." She glared, though he couldn't really tell. "I—"

"—You two couldn't stop fighting for one day?"

Ava's frown flipped upside down in a heartbeat and she ripped the blindfold off her eyes, jumping into her mother's embrace. "Hi!"

"Hi, Sweetheart." Karen laughed. "Happy birthday!"

"What are you doing here? You told me you couldn't make it!"

"And you believed me?" Karen scoffed. "Like I would ever miss any one of your birthdays for anything."

"I'm glad you're here." Ava held her tightly, reveling in the familiar feeling of being safe in her mother's arms.

But as the teen was embracing her mother, her eye caught her little sister.

Lily was standing there more quiet than she had ever seen her.

"Hi!" Ava spoke once Karen let go of her. "C'mere!"

The one thing you could say about Ava Scott, was that she adored her little sister.

There was no questioning that at all.

"Havana!" Lily squealed when her sister lifted her up and set her on her hip. "I missed you! Happy birthday!"

It really hadn't been that long since the wedding incident, but to a five year old child, it may have seemed like a lifetime.

And apparently, the same could be said for the fifteen year old.

"I missed you, too, Buddy." Ava kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday. What are you, like three?"

"No!" Lily shook her head. "I'm a big girl, I'm five!" She lifted her hand just to show her.

"Five? Wow! That's definitely a big girl number." Ava acknowledged. "What kind of 'big girl' things are you gonna do now?"

"Wear makeup!"

"We'll see." Karen clarified.

"Happy birthday, darling." Andy chuckled at his wife's expense and brought the girl in for another hug.

"Thank you." Ava gave him a toothy grin.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road."

"Do you think about Daddy a lot?" Lily asked her sister as they walked along the Riverwalk.

The family had just a big breakfast together to celebrate and do some minute catching up.

Ava hadn't been so happy in a long time. She was really enjoying the day and it had just started!

"Sometimes." She thought about him most of the time these days. "Why? Do you?"

She knew it had to be hard on Lily. She'd never know her father.

She would only see pictures of him and hear stories of what he was like.

But she'd never know him. Only of him.

"Yeah." Lily nodded. "Sometimes, I go in Mama's closet and I put on his shirts. They make me feel like he's here with me."

Karen had never really gotten around to throwing away all of Keith's things. Especially not his clothes. Those held sentimental value, so she held onto them and kept them in box in her closet, never to be touched.

But Lily found them and took a single flannel shirt out of the box. Sometimes when she brought it close enough to her nose, she could smell the mixture of cologne and grease. It wasn't much, but it was something that she could connect to her father.

Ava herself had taken the man's denim jacket and bandanas. She just boxed them away and never touched them. Like her sister, she was big on scents. She was so afraid that if she took them out of the box or wore them, they'd lose Keith's signature smell forever.

It might have been different if she knew what kind of cologne her used to wear, or what kind of aftershave he out on, but she didn't. Once the smell was gone, it was gone.

"You know….." Ava kept the smile on her face. "I did the same thing when I was a little bit older than you."

Of course, Keith had still been alive then, but she did it for the same reason as she did now.

The man would realize a couple of shirts were missing only to find Ava wearing them as if they were pajamas. She was so small that they swallowed her up whole.

He never said anything, but after a certain amount of time had passed, he'd take his shirt back to wash it and then leave another in its place.

"You did?" Lily lit up.

"I sure did." Ava nodded, turning back to her mother, Lucas, and Andy, who were walking a ways behind them to give them space to talk. "Can I take Lily somewhere really quick?"

"Do you have your phone on you?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'm calling you if you're away too long."

"Thank you." Ava took Lily's hand and pulled her away from the group.

"Where are we going?" The five year old asked as she was lead around to the opposite side of the Riverwalk where she could no longer see their family.

"You'll see." Ava kept walking, only stopping when they reached the fountain.

Her fountain.

"Pretty fountain." Lily mused, looking at it.

The water was shooting up high today and there were so many shiny coins down at the bottom of it.

"I used to come here all the time." Ava sat down began to tell her story. "I'd just come here and sit…..and I'd watch all the people passing by. I'd do it for hours."

"You didn't get bored?" Lily asked, sitting next to her.

"Oh, no way." Ava declined. "This place is special."

"Why?"

"It was your daddy's and my special place." Ava told her, watching the water shoot up from the faucets. "We would just sit here and hang out for as long as we wanted to…..and sometimes even longer than that."

"Wow. My daddy used to sit here?"

"Right where you're sitting." Ava pointed. "And we used to make wishes. It's a fountain, so it's kind of a rule." She dug through her little purse and pulled out two quarters. "One for me. One for you."

"Thank you." Lily stared at the coin with her child-like wonder.

"The trick is, you can't tell anyone what you're wishing for. It's between you and the fountain."

"Does it work?"

"Sometimes." Ava nodded.

"Like when?"

"Like when I wished for Mama and your daddy to fall in love….and they did." She nudged her.

She had been hoping that her mother and Uncle Keith would get married her entire life. When they finally got engaged, she was over the moon! They were going to be an official family, a real family.

"I wanna make a wish right now!"

"Okay, but make sure it's totally realistic…..not something like fairy wings or unicorns." Ava advised. "And don't tell anyone."

"Okay." Lily closed her eyes, made her wish, and tossed the coin into the water. "I did it!"

Ava high-fived before doing the same, knowing that this was just a silly little childhood habit, but it made her feel close to her uncle again.

Besides, now Lily had something physical to connect to her father besides an old shirt. It wasn't much, but it was all Ava could give her.

"Hey, I saw you and Lily at the fountain earlier." Karen spoke to her daughter, sitting on Haley and Nathan's couch before Jamie's party was to begin. "Thank you."

"For what? I didn't do anything." Ava shrugged. "All I did was tell her to make a wish and drop a coin in."

"You did more than that and you know it." Karen chided. "That was a very special place for you and Keith. You hung out there for years. I know it means a lot to you, you don't have to pretend it doesn't. But bringing Lily there and sharing it with her, meant a lot to her. She looks up to you and she wants nothing more than to get as close as she can to her father. You made her day."

"Yeah, well…..she started telling me about how she thinks about him sometimes and I just thought that if I took her there…..she'd have a piece of him to take with her for a while."

"I know you miss him." Karen wrapped an arm around her. "But he would be so proud of you."

"You think so?"

"Oh, I know so." Karen pressed a kiss against her forehead. "He loved you."

"Now, that I do know." Ava stated cheekily, making her mother smile.

"Hey, Birthday Girl." Haley came over to greet them. "I didn't see you at all this morning."

"Hi, Hales." Ava stood up so she could hug her.

"Happy birthday!" The older girl squeezed. "I can't believe you're fifteen already! I swear it was just yesterday that I was holding you in my arms while you screamed your little head off. Your little face was so red and scrunched up."

"Haleyyyyy."

"What?" Haley released her. "You turn fifteen and all of a sudden you're embarrassed by me?"

"You're awful."

"I do my best. Listen, your brother picked up your gifts and dropped them off at the house. Let me know if you like 'em."

"Okay." Ava thought it very odd that everyone had been acting so strangely today, but she shrugged it off. "I'm sure I will."

"Hey, look it is!" Nathan came barreling in and scooped his sister up, despite her protests.

"Put me down!" She gasped.

Wasn't this hurting his back?

"Say, cheese first." Karen took out a camera Ava hadn't even known she had with her.

"I am not a baby. I'm fifteen." Ava refused.

"Well, fifteen or not, you're always gonna be our baby." Nathan was flippant in his response. He didn't seem to be in any pain.

"You guys always say that."

"That's because it's true."

"Ava, if you smile for this picture, I promise you can have some candy before the party even starts." Haley bribed, with Karen's permission of course.

"Cheese." Ava put a pleasant look on her face and waited for her mother to take the picture. "Can you put me down now?"

"I don't know." Nathan shrugged. "I kinda wanna hold onto you for a while. You used to love this."

"Put me down."

"You're no fun." Nathan mock pouted, but obliged, but not before stealing a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Pidge."

"Thank you."

"My baby is all grown up!" Haley pretended to wipe a tear from her eye, cupping Ava's cheeks. "Where'd the time go?"

"Haleyyyy!"

"Who's that at the door?" Ava asked Deb, walking over to the door to see who had come to join the party.

Most of Jamie's guests had arrived and a whole bunch of little kids were running around the house.

So Ava opted to help the adults out, much to their displeasure. They didn't want her to work on her birthday, but it wasn't at all work to Ava.

And it was getting a little hectic. They could use the help.

"Oh, Ava, come say hello!" Deb waved her over to meet a clown.

Now, it was common knowledge that Haley was terrified of clowns.

What most people didn't know, was Ava suffered from the same fear.

"Hello." Ava thought he was smiling, but couldn't really tell because of the paint of his face. "I'm Bozo! Is your birthday today, too?"

Ava shrieked and reeled her fist back, socking him right in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"Ava!" Deb gasped, but it was no use, because at the first sing of weakness, Ava dashed out the door.

"What's the matter with you?" Peyton managed to grab her before she could take off down the driveway and then eventually, down the block. "Slow down, Birthday Girl. What're you running from?"

"Him." Ava pointed a shaky finger at the clown who was still talking to Deb.

"You don't like clowns either, huh?"

"Nope." Ava shook her head, taking notice of the baby in the carrier that Brooke was holding. "Is that the baby?"

"Uh, happy birthday and 'hello' to you, too, Missy." Brooke scoffed.

Ever since bringing the baby home, Brooke hadn't been in the store too often. It was a big adjustment and she needed time to fall into a new routine with her.

Without her knowledge, Ava convinced Millie to let her work longer hours (with no extra pay) to make things easier on Brooke. It took a lot of bargaining on her end, but she finally got Millie to agree to the deal on the agreement that if Brooke ever found out about it, Ava was solely to blame.

She could live with that.

"Oh, hi!" Ava gigged, reaching over to hug her before she hugged Peyton. "Is that the baby?"

"She's been pretty excited." Haley smirked.

"Yes, this is the baby." Brooke introduced her. "Her name is Angie and she keeps me up all day and all night, so if you wake her up, I'll hurt you."

"Woah." Ava whistled. "But she's so cute."

"You'll get the hang of it, Brooke." Haley assured her. "It just takes practice and learning how to function on no sleep."

"We're getting the 'no sleep' thing down." Peyton joked.

But seriously, they weren't getting any sleep.

"It's just so hard. I'm trying to be patient, but I can't get any work done with her wailing all the time."

"Do you have any chicken fingers?!" A little boy asked Haley.

"Do you have an inside voice?" Brooke hissed.

"Brooke, we're outside." Peyton laughed.

And Angie took that as her cue to start crying.

"No!" Brooke panicked. "It's okay! I hate kids."

"That's what cute little babies grow up to be."

"Oh, Brooke, can I hold her?" Ava asked. "Please?"

"All she's gonna do is scream in your ear, Honey." Brooke warned.

"I don't mind! Please?" Ava pouted.

"Take her."

Ava cheered and expertly unbuckled Angie from her carrier, setting the baby on her hip. "Hi, Angie. Hi."

Angie screamed and took a look at the teen carrying her, before slowly quieting down.

"You're so cute." Ava cooed, bouncing her a little. "But why are you crying? Are you hungry? Are you sleepy?" She tickled the baby's tummy, making her giggle through her tears. "I know, you want cake!"

Angie only responded with a babble.

"Sometimes I cry, too when I want cake and Haley doesn't give me any." Ava joked, easing the tension. "I'll make sure you get some cake today."

"How does she…." Brooke trailed, following Ava into the house.

"She's pretty good with kids." Haley explained.

"I can see that."

"Who have you got there, Sweetheart?" Karen asked after everyone had sung 'Happy Birthday' to both Jamie and Lily.

Turns out, this had actually been a joint party for both Jamie and Lily to enjoy.

The two truly and honestly believed that they were twins, and they wanted to be treated as such.

Ava had no idea that the adults had this all planned for the two children, but was delighted to see the happiness on their faces.

They were so cute.

"Oh, this is Angie." Ava smiled as Angie played with her hair. "Angie, this is my mother. Can you say, 'hi'?"

Angie just kicked her feet happily.

"She's so adorable." Karen gushed. "Is this the baby Brooke said she was taking in?"

"This is her." Ava confirmed. "I'm giving Brooke a little break, because she looked a little tired, you know?"

"I'm sure she appreciates it."

"Besides, Angie and I are friends now, aren't we?"

Angie waved her arms and let out a baby laugh.

"Yes, we are." Ava tickled her side, making her laughter grow louder.

"Havana-Rose, Brooke asked if you could meet her upstairs." Millie politely tapped her shoulder. "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"Oh, that's okay." Ava smiled. "You can call me 'Ava' though. Everyone else does."

"Thank you, but do you mind if I keep calling you by your full name? It's so beautiful."

"No, I don't mind." Ava shook her head. "Go ahead…..this is my mom, by the way."

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Millie shook Karen's hand. "Brooke has told me so much about you."

"Good things, I hope."

"Of course! I'm sorry we couldn't meet properly at the wedding."

Ava was glad that Millie was hitting it off with her mother, because the girl was normally so shy. It was nice to see her interact and be social.

Taking this time to sneak off upstairs, Ava found Brooke in Jamie's room.

"There you are!" Brooke greeted, taking Angie from her. "Thank you so much for playing with her."

"You're welcome." Ava sat down on the bed. "She's great."

"She is." Brooke prepared to change the baby. "But babies are a lot of work."

"Yeah."

"You having a fun birthday?"

"Uh huh." Ava nodded and for a split second, Brooke saw that little girl she had met all those years ago. "Lucas surprised me this morning with Mama, Andy, and Lily."

"Oh, I bet you loved that."

"Mmhmm. I took Lily to the fountain. It meant a lot to me…..so I thought that maybe she'd like it, too."

"And did she?"

"She did."

"That was a nice thing you did, Honey." Brooke winked. "You're a good kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore." Ava mock-pouted.

"Enjoy it. Don't run from it."

"Okay."

"Hey, Birthday Boy." Brooke waved Jamie into the room. "You wanna help me change her?"

"She's a girl. That's gross." Jamie hopped onto the bed next to Ava. "Where's Owen?"

"Owen was not ready for an emotional relationship with responsibilities exceeding those of pouring drinks in a bar."

"Yikes."

"He didn't like what was under the clothes, did he?"

"He never got what was under the clothes, thank you very much." Brooke scoffed.

"Am I missing something?" Ava laughed.

"Not a thing." Brooke shook her head, clearly amused.

"You wanna play a game or something?"

"I'd love to, sweetie, but I'm a little busy with Angie right now. Can we play later?"

But Jamie didn't answer. If Ava didn't know any better, she'd say he was jealous.

"Hey, you wanna know a secret?" Brooke understood that he may have been feeling a little jealous. "You know why I decided to take care of Angie? 'Cause of you, Buddy." She tapped his nose. "You showed me how awesome kids are. You know nobody's ever gonna replace you, right?"

And to that, Jamie did nod.

"Okay. Now, I've been really busy with this one, so I haven't had time to get your birthday present, but I think this year you're old enough to pick out your own."

"I am?" Jamie's eyes widened as Brooke pulled out her checkbook.

"I think so."

Ava smiled at her nephew's excitement and lifted Angie to sit on her lap to keep her occupied.

"What do you think of that?" The woman scribbled some numbers down, handing Jamie the piece of paper.

"Whoa." Jamie gasped. "That's a lot of zeros."

"Yeah, don't spend it all in one place, huh?" Brooke grinned as Jamie kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday."

And both girls were pleasantly surprised when he gave Angie a kiss of her own.

"I think she likes you." Brooke laughed. "Hey, come here for a second, Ava."

Ava put the baby down on the floor so that Jamie could play with her, before following Brooke into her own room. "What's up?"

"You didn't think I forgot about your birthday, did you?"

"No, you said 'happy birthday' to me earlier." Ava sent her a look of confusion. "Remember?"

"Go look in your closet." That wasn't what Brooke meant. Ava was so sweet.

"Okay….." Ava did as she was told and was pleasantly surprised to find an entirely new outfit in her wardrobe. "Brooke!"

"Do you like it?"

"Do I like it?" Ava couldn't believe what she seeing.

In her closet, was a romper.

But it was the most beautiful romper she had ever seen. It was both yellow and orange, with ruffly shoulders and loose pant legs, decorated with flowers.

Forget-Me-Nots. Her favorites.

"I made it just for you."

"I love it!" She launched herself at Brooke in thanks. "Thank you! How did you get this done with the company and the baby? And the flowers?"

"I made time." Brooke rubbed her back. "I asked your mother for your measurements and I got to work. And I never forgot what your favorite flowers were."

She remembered years back when Ava had been involved in that limo accident at Nathan and Haley's wedding. She was a nervous wreck, just like everyone else, and was trying to think of ways to help out.

She ended up visiting her while she was still unconscious and noticed that the room was really dull and bare. So she decided to liven it up for when she woke up. Karen was the one who told her that Ava's favorite flowers were Forget-Me-Nots, so she made sure bought a ton, so that when Ava woke up, she wouldn't miss them.

Ava never did find out who the flowers were from and no one ever told her. But Brooke didn't need her thanks to know that she appreciated them.

"I love it so much! Thank you!"

"Well? Try it on!"

Ava laughed and let go of Brooke, allowing the older girl to help her into it.

And it fit perfectly.

"It's beautiful." Ava admired it in the mirror, while Brooke pulled her hair back into a slick, low ponytail.

"I'm happy you like it, Honey. But I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?"

Once Brooke finished her hair, she dug into the girl's closet and pulled out a single yellow shoe and an orange shoe.

Converse.

"I made the outfit with these shoes in mind…..and I know you don't do the whole 'two different shoes' thing anymore, but…"

"I have two different feet." Ava shrugged with a cheeky grin. "Why shouldn't I wear two different shoes?"

"Well, don't you look pretty?" Karen made her daughter twirl, before she left for cake. "Brooke, you really outdid yourself this time."

"I did, didn't I?" Brooke joked. "Thank you. I'm just glad she likes it."

"I'll be lucky if we can get her out of it later on." It was true, Ava had a tendency of wearing her favorite outfits 24/7. "How's the baby life coming along?"

"Hard." The designer exhaled heavily. "You made it look so easy. Between Lucas and that little whirlwind, Ava? And then Lily? You're a superhero."

"Well, thank you." Karen smiled. "But it wasn't always easy. And it helped that they weren't babies at the same time. I also had a lot of help. So if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

"Okay, I won't."

"Hi, Ava." Lindsay awkwardly smiled at the teen as she walked over to her and Lucas. "Happy birthday."

She and Lucas had actually sat at the table in the breakfast nook to have a talk, but the way the conversation was going, she was glad for the intervention.

"Thank you." Ava answered politely, not really knowing how to act around the woman who left her brother at the alter.

She understood why she did it, but a part of her was a little upset about it.

"So, fifteen, huh?" Lindsay tried to extend the olive branch. "I remember when I was fifteen."

"Oh yeah? What were you like?"

"I was such a nerd." Lindsay scoffed. "Always had my nose in a book or a pen in my hand. But I loved it. Enjoy the teen years, because they fly by."

"I will."

"Having a good time?" Lucas put an arm around his sister when she sat down on his lap.

"Yes." Ava stole a piece of his cake. "Yum."

"Get your own."

"But yours tastes better."

"How does it taste better? It's all the same thing."

"It just does!"

Lucas just rolled his eyes and fed her another piece to shut her up.

"Hey!" Lindsay lit up when she saw Jamie. "There he is. So, does your party rock or what?"

"Are you coming home?" That was Jamie. No filter at all.

"Well….."

"Cause Uncle Lucas really misses you."

"We're still working on that, Buddy, but, uh, thanks." Lucas saved Lindsay from having to answer and handed him a crisp ten dollar bill. "Now go play with your friends."

"Cool!" Jamie beamed at the money. "This is the best birthday ever!"

"Scram." The blonde held a twenty out to his sister.

"I'm not five years old." Ava sassed. "You can just tell me to leave."

"Fine. Don't take the money."

Ava snatched the bill from his hand and ran off before he could blink, leaving Lindsay and her brother to laugh.

"Hey."

"Uh, hey?" Ava chuckled at how timid Skills seemed to be around her. "What's up?"

Ava had known Skills her entire life and had never seen him so…hesitant. He was usually bold and straight to the point. That's one of the things she admired about him.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize. I already spoke to Nathan, Haley, and your mom, but I wanted to talk to you, too."

"Okay…..apologize for what?"

"For letting all that happen to you. At the wedding." Skills said. "If I had never let Jamie go to the bathroom by himself, you woulda never followed him and none of this would've happened."

"I hate to break it to you after such a heartfelt apology, but none of that was your fault." Ava told him seriously. "Carrie's the one who caused all this…is that why you haven't been around?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd just lay low, you know?"

"You didn't have to. Nobody was mad at you. But if you really need to hear it, I forgive you."

"Thanks." Skills breathed a sigh of relief, handing her a bag. "I picked this up for you."

"What is it?"

"Open it."

Ava grinned and dug through the bag, pulling out an assortment of basketball jerseys from different teams.

There was one from the Lakers, one from the Bobcats, from the 76ers, from Golden State, and from the Celtics.

She was about to pull her hand out of the bag when one with a blue tint caught her eye. Out of curiosity, she pulled it out, only to see that it was a Tree Hill Ravens jersey.

The number '97 was embroidered on the back of it.

The year she was born.

"Skills…..I….." Ava didn't know what to say. He had obviously put a lot of thought into this gift and had really splurged on her. "I— thank you."

"It's no problem. I just figured if you were playing ball again, you'd want something to wear on the court, you know?"

"Thank you." Ava wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you."

"We're opening presents!" Lily bounced over to them, grabbing an arm each to pull them into the living room.

"Slow down." Ava pretended to be dragged.

"Come on!" Lily pushed her to sit down and then plopped onto her lap.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Haley rushed over with a camera and sat near Jamie. "Okay, go ahead."

"Okay." Jamie opened one gift and pulled out a Dr. Seuss book. "Thanks, Uncle Lucas."

"How'd you know it was from me?"

"It's a book!"

"How boring can you get?" Skills teased.

"Okay, Lily, this one's for you." Haley handed her a bag.

Lily wasted no time in tearing into it, pulling out a full Apple Bottom sweatsuit. "New clothes!" She cheered.

"Who's it from?" Ava asked, looking at the card attached. "Haley and Nathan."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"My turn again!" Jamie couldn't contain himself as he reached for another gift. "Look, Daddy. It's your number." He said, holding a black and orange basketball jersey with the number twenty-three on the back.

"It is, huh?"

"Jamie, who gave this to you?"

"I don't know, Mama."

"Well, there's no card." Ava looked on the outside of the bag.

"And there's another one here, too." Jamie looked inside to find something girly looking. "I think it's for Ava."

"Me?" Ava furrowed her eyebrows as he slid the it over to her.

She didn't know what could possibly be in there, but when she found out, she froze.

Because inside the bag, was a music box.

And it wasn't a small one.

Her name was engraved on the side and there were forget-me-nots painted around it, with Lady and the Tramp on the cover.

Carefully opening the box, the tune, Bella Notte began to play very elegantly.

A little figurine of the two pups eating spaghetti was inside, but what caught Ava's eye was the bracelet inside of it.

It was pure gold with more forget-me-nots engraved around it.

It was beautiful.

And she knew exactly who it had come from.

"That's beautiful, Ava." Lily broke the silence.

"Yeah….."

"Who's it from?"

Before answering her sister, Ava made some uncomfortable eye contact with Nathan. "I don't know."

"Alright, it's about time we headed out, don't you think?" Andy spoke to his wife, glancing at his watch.

"I think you're right."

"Let me go make sure Jamie's alright, and I'll be right with you." Haley told them, making Ava frown.

"I thought we were just going home?"

"We are." Karen smiled.

"Then why are you acting weird?"

"Weird?" Andy questioned. "Why do you say that?"

"Because every time I open up my mouth, you guys look at each other, or you look at me like you know something I don't."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, love."

"Sure, you don't." Ava nodded. "You know, it's not nice to hide things from people on their birthday."

"I'll keep that in mind." He dug into his pocket and handed her a pack of sour gummy worms. "Here."

"Ooh!" She gasped, taking them from him, ripping the packing open just to pop one in her mouth. "Thank you!"

By now, Andy had learned that if he needed to distract Ava, all he had to do was give her that particular candy and the problem was solved.

"In the meantime, go out and start the car." He also handed her the keys to his vehicle.

"Is the creepy 'It' clown still here?"

"No, sweetie." Deb laughed, opening the fridge. "He's long gone."

"Good." Ava let out a sigh of relief before leaving the adults to themselves.

"Is she outside?" Deb asked, her back towards the door.

"The door just closed." Karen smirked.

"Alright, I've got the kids." Deb began to divulge the plan. "Everything for them is all set. You take Ava and have a good time."

"Thank you so much for doing this."

"You're family. It's Ava's birthday, and she should get to celebrate it without all the screaming five year olds." Deb joked. "Just give her my love."

"Watch your step." Karen warned her eldest daughter as they entered the house.

"I can see where I'm going." Ava shot her an odd look.

"Just open the door." Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I will." Ava returned the gesture and turned the doorknob. "All I know is, you all have been acting funny around me for hours and I'm onto you. But I'll let you have your fun—"

"—Surprise!" Everyone shouted once she turned on the lights.

Ava shrieked and covered her eyes, glaring at them once she recovered.

"Happy birthday!"

"I knew it!" She managed to laugh, though her heart was hammering against her chest.

"It's true. Another minute longer and you would've had us." Karen admitted defeat.

"Come here!" Maddie met her at the door and pulled her over to the table that had been set up in the living room. "Take a look at your cake."

"This is so cute!" Ava gushed. The cake was a mixture of cake and ice cream with sour gummy worms decorated all over it, and it resembled the back of Mickey Mouse's head. It looked much better than it sounded. "Gummies!"

"Hey!" Haley quickly smacked the teen's hand as she reached out for a piece of candy.

"But it's my birthday, remember?" Ava pouted, rubbing the area where she had been so brutally chastised.

"And you'll get some of it, but after you blow out the candles." She amended, lighting the sticks for her.

"Ready?" Maddie looked at everyone.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Ava!" They all sang. "Happy birthday to you!"

"Now make a wish and blow out the candles." Lucas placed a hand on her back.

Ava bit her lip in thought, before leaning over and blowing out as many candles as she could in one breath.

She really didn't have anything to wish for. She already had everything she wanted.

"Alright, this one's from me." Lucas handed Ava a gift.

Ava took the box from him, surprised by its weight, before tearing the wrapping paper off and tossing the lid aside.

In the box, was a bunch of classic literature.

'Anna Keranina', 'War and Peace', 'Les Miserables', 'The Count of Monte Cristo', if it was a classic, chances are, it was in the pile.

And they were all beautiful hardcover copies.

"I don't think we're ever gonna see her again." Haley joked. "She's gonna spend all day in her room with her nose stuck in a book."

"Life's greater happiness is to be convinced we are loved." Ava traced a finger across 'Les Miserables thoughtfully.

"I take it, you like the gift?" Lucas smiled in amusement, before getting an armful of his sister.

"I love you. Thank you."

It was the one thing that they'd always share.

A love for reading. A love for knowledge.

From the time that Ava was an infant to the time she could read on her own, Lucas would read aloud to her.

It was their way of bonding.

Such a gift was to be treasured.

Lucas bit back tears and rubbed her back as everyone watched on in a content kind of silence, allowing them to have their moment.

"Open your next gift." Nathan spoke after a minute or two, handing her a bag.

Ava broke out of the hug and accepted it, looking into the bag to find CDs from all different types of genres. "Thank you, Peyton."

"You didn't even read the card, how'd you know it was from me?" Peyton asked as everyone laughed.

"The Cure?" Ava deadpanned, holding up an album by said band.

That's one thing she and Lucas would never share. Ava loved The Cure, unlike her her brother, who thought their music was depressing and whiny. Ava thought it was mellow and could spend hours listening to them in her room.

She always had to borrow Maddie's copies, but it looked like that wouldn't be an issue anymore.

"Alright, you got me there."

"Here, this is from Nathan and I." Haley handed her a small box.

"Thank you." Ava took it graciously and found that it was a new phone.

But not just any phone. It was a new model of the Sidekick.

She refused to get rid of her old one, because she loved the brand so much.

"Thank you!" Ava hugged the two.

"You're welcome." Nathan poked her side. "Now you don't have any excuses for not answering your phone when we call."

"I'm with you on that." Lucas agreed.

Ava's phone had been slowing down as of late, so there were some calls and texts she didn't receive, which annoyed the daylights out of her siblings.

Especially when they needed to know where she was.

Ava absolutely loved her gifts, but more importantly, she loved everyone who had stuck around to celebrate with her. Her day just kept getting better and better.

She was just so...happy.

"Ava, there's someone at the door for you." Olivia, one of Ava's dance mates, told her.

"Oh yeah?" Ava stopped dancing. "Did they say who it was?"

"No, just that they wanted to see you."

"Alright, thanks." Ava chortled and made her way to the front door. "Q?"

"Hey, Cosette." He greeted with a smirk, handing her a large bouquet of yellow daisies. "Happy birthday."

"Hi!" Ava smiled, happy to see him as she stepped out onto the porch to speak to him. "Oh, these are beautiful! Thank you!" She pecked his lips to show her gratitude.

"I know your favorites are Forget-Me-Nots, but I wasn't sure where to find them…and your mom told me you were a big 'Gilmore Girls' fan…"

"Of course she did." Ava glanced down thoughtfully at the daisies. "A thousand yellow daisies."

"Huh?" She had obviously thrown him off with that one.

"When Max proposed to Lorelai, he sent her a thousand yellow daisies." She elaborated. "The whole town of Stars Hollow was bright with them for days…..thank you."

He had put a lot of thought into that gift.

And she loved it.

Q had no idea what to get the girl for her birthday. So, he went to her mother and asked. She told him that he was having trouble because he was thinking too big.

Ava wasn't a big gift kind of girl. She very much appreciated the little things, rather than the big, flashy ones.

And Q was beginning to see that.

He had never seen anyone so happy to get flowers on their birthday as Ava was right now.

She really was something special.

And he couldn't help but feel a wave of pride when she plucked a flower out of the bunch and tucked it in her hair.

"It matches your outfit."

"Thank you. Are you gonna come inside?"

"Uh, no." He shook his head. "I was helping my mom out at home and writing that report. She actually had to take my books away." He chuckled.

"Well, I'll have to thank her for setting you free for a couple of minutes."

"…..Yeah."

"You know, Skills isn't mad at you." Ava told him. "I, uh, I heard about what went down between you two. He's just waiting for you to come around, you know?"

"I know…..I just…..I really messed up, you know?"

"I know. It takes a little while." Ava understood. "It'll get better."

"I know." He smiled and tenderly brushed his lips against hers.

The two kissed delicately, with Q's good arm around her waist, holding her close.

And when they finally broke apart, identical grins crossed their faces.

"I gotta go." Q spoke softly.

"Yeah…'Les Mis' calls." She smirked. "Thank you for coming by...are you sure you don't want to stay? I saved you some cake."

"I don't want to impose. I know you want to spend time with your family."

"You're not imposing, I'm offering." Her eyes shined. "In fact, because it's my birthday, I'm demanding."

"Oh, well. I guess I don't have much of a choice." He laughed when she took his hand and led him inside.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" Karen asked Ava, who was practically wiped out on the couch.

The party was great. There was dancing, lots and lots of food, everyone got along great, and Ava absorbed more sugar than she was allowed to.

Now that the rush had worn off, she was paying for it.

"I had the best time." She answered tiredly. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Babygirl."

"Though, the day isn't quite over yet." Andy caught her attention, setting a very large box in front of her. "You have one more present left. It's from me, your Mum, Haley and your brothers."

"I thought your present was you stopping by?"

"Tell me you're kidding." Karen scoffed. "Open the gift!"

"Okay! Okay!" Ava waved her off and tore through the wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box.

"I wonder what's inside." Andy had picked up a camcorder and begun filming.

Ava stopped to give him an annoyed look, but only ended up laughing. "It's a hard box to the open."

"Just keep pulling on it."

When Ava finally got the box open, she pulled out a guitar case.

She couldn't believe it!

"You didn't!" She gasped.

"Open it and see if we did!" Andy laughed, so glad he was getting this all on film.

Ava carefully opened up the case to reveal the most beautiful guitar she had ever seen.

A Gibson 'J-200' acoustic guitar.

She had been eyeing this particular guitar for ages, but she never dreamed she'd get it.

In fact, she had never even told anyone she wanted it.

Not that she could remember.

But here it was. It was gorgeous.

"Oh my…thank you so much." She managed to get out. "How did you— how did you know?"

"A mother always knows." Karen winked. "Aren't you gonna play something for us?"

"Oh….yeah…..sure." Ava tearfully laughed. "Okay."

She had been so accustomed to playing Haley's guitar, but this just felt different.

It felt magical.

Her fingers danced along the fret board as her right hand plucked the strings gracefully.

And she had been right.

She had nothing to wish for.

Everything was perfect.

A/N: So I gave Ava a nice and happy chapter. She deserved to be happy on her birthday :) She's fifteen and she's growing so fast! I miss my little baby Ava!